A closer look at how Arsenal’s well-oiled dead-ball routines could expose Liverpool’s soft underbelly.
Introduction
After three straight second-place finishes, this could finally be the season Mikel Arteta moves from bridesmaid to bride and fittingly, it might come by toppling the reigning champions: Liverpool.
The two meet tomorrow at the Emirates, in what could be a decisive title clash. Arsenal lost the reverse fixture at Anfield in a cagey match, settled by a Szoboszlai free-kick, a moment of brilliance from Liverpool’s standout player this season.
But the real story here goes beyond the league table. Arsenal’s climb back to the top has been built on smart recruitment, tactical evolution, and one often-overlooked factor: set pieces.
While clubs like Brentford, Brighton, and Liverpool have been ahead of the curve in this area for years, Arsenal’s rise has been dramatic since 2021, the year Arteta brought Nicolas Jover, the set piece coach who previously worked wonders at Brentford and under Pep Guardiola at City. Since his arrival, Arsenal have quietly become a set piece machine.
And make no mistake, set piecesmatter. Whether it’s qualifying for the Champions League, avoiding relegation, or winning the title, a single goal can be worth tens of millions. Liverpool themselves added 14–15 goals per season from dead-ball situations during their peak under Klopp, often the difference in tight title races with City.
Now, though, Liverpool are struggling to defend them. They’ve conceded too many, some from poor structure, others from misfortune but it’s become a clear weakness.
If this match plays out like the reverse fixture, tight, tense, and decided by fine margins, don’t be surprised if a set piece tips the balance. This time, it could be Arsenal who edge it.
Let’s look at what the data says.
When Liverpool won the title, Liverpool fans mocked Arteta.
Context
Arsenal’s Set Piece Supremacy
Arsenal currently sit second in both xG and goals from set pieces, stats they usually dominate, with Manchester United narrowly ahead this season.Credit goes to Amorim and his staff, who have clearly adapted well to the league. That said, Arsenal still top one crucial category:shots taken. They’ve attempted a league-high 100 shots from dead-ball situations, creating over 10 xG and scoring 13 goals. Those are elite numbers.
It shows Arsenal are covering all angles, playing on all fronts and leaving little to chance.
Arsenal’s league’s metrics ranking in all offensive set pieces
Corner FC in Full Force
Where Arsenal truly shine is corners. They’re topping every relevant metric and it shows. At this point, when I see Arsenal score and notice it’s a defender like Gabriel or Timber on the scoresheet, I assume it came from a corner. Often, I’m right.
Even in Europe, their threat is evident. Against Bayern, it was a corner that unlocked the match, while PSG couldn’t handle Bayern’s press at home, Arsenal made the breakthrough through one well-executed set piece. That doesn’t just happen. It’s the result of smart coaching and relentless training.
In the Premier League alone, they’ve generated6.63 xG, scored10 goals, and attempted69 shots from corners. That’s domination.
Corner FC at it’s finest.
Liverpool’s Defensive Vulnerabilities
Liverpool’s set piece defending this season has been, frankly, shocking. While there’s a case to be made for some bad luck, conceding 12 goals from around 6 xG, they’ve still allowed75 shots from set plays. That volume alone is a huge red flag.
Their underlying metrics are in line with a top-four side, but the actual outcome,12 goals conceded from set pieces in just 19 games (excluding penalties) , is the kind of stat you’d associate with a relegation battle. It’s one of the key reasons they’ve fallen out of the title race.
Liverpool leak too many goals from Set Pieces
Where It Hurts Most: Corners and Throw-Ins
Most of Liverpool’s problems come from two areas:corners andthrow-ins. They’ve conceded10 of those 12 set piece goals from these situations, that’s more than 83%. It’s a clear structural issue.
Liverpool’s defensive corner numbers and ranking.
And that’s exactly where Arsenal thrive. They haven’t scored from a throw-in yet, but given the profiles they have and the patterns they use, they’re more than capable of turning those into threats.
Liverpool’s defensive throw-ins numbers and ranking.
In the next section, we’ll break down where Arsenal can specifically hurt Liverpool and how it might play out on the pitch.
Where Arsenal Can Strike
Arsenal are dominating the Premier League on corners, ranking first in every key attacking metric. Now let’s dig deeper intohow andwhere they’re creating danger, starting with the left side, where they’ve already scoredsix goals.
Left-Side Threat: Rice’s Delivery Zone
The heatmap shows Arsenal heavily targeting thecentral and far-post zones on left-sided corners. The penalty area is crowded for rebounds, but the threat doesn’t stop there with players likeØdegaard and Zubimendi lurking around the edge, even second balls can become dangerous.
Declan Rice is the main corner taker from the left, delivering45 inswinging corners, with the majority aimed centrally and toward the far post. He has a moderate first-contact success rate, but allsix goals from the left have come from his deliveries. Most shots and goals emerge from thecentral zone, with some danger from the far post and even outside the box.
Right-Side Variation: Balanced and Unpredictable
From the right, Arsenal are more balanced. The heatmap shows danger across all zones, especially around thepenalty spot, withBukayo Saka leading in deliveries (38). His inswingers frequently hit thenear and central zones, creating real chaos.
There’s variation too withMadueke, Rice, and Ødegaard all involved, Arsenal can mix it up. The far post sees the highest volume of shots, butgoals and xG are concentrated in the near and central zones, showing how Arsenal overload these areas and finish with precision.
Target Men and Repeated Patterns
Certain players emerge as repeat targets:
From the left:Timber andCalafiori
From the right:Gabriel andTrossard
These patterns show Arsenal’s set-piece routines are drilled and intentional, repeat deliveries, repeat runs, and end product. Arsenal aren’t just dominant. They’re structured, varied, and lethal.
And against a Liverpool side that’s already conceded12 goals from set pieces,10 of them fromcorners or throw-ins, this could be the game’s turning point.
Where It Falls Apart for Liverpool
Liverpool couldn’t have asked for a worse matchup than this one.
They’ve conceded6 goals from corners on the left side, the same side where Arsenal have scored the most from this season. It’s a perfect storm.
From the heatmaps, you can see it clearly:
Liverpool concede from nearly every zone on the left, near post, far post, central, it doesn’t matter. There’s no dominant pattern to defend against, and that’s what makes it dangerous. Any well-executed delivery could hurt them.
Even the delivery types vary, inswingers, straight balls, even non-cross second phases, all of them have led to goals. That level of exposure makes Arsenal’s left-sided routines even more threatening.
On theright side, Liverpool are slightly more solid, but still vulnerable. There’s repeated danger around thepenalty spot and near post, zones Arsenal love to hit, especially with Saka delivering from that side.
With Arsenal’s high-volume, high-precision corner strategy and Liverpool’s chaotic defensive record, it’s hard not to expect something to come from a dead-ball situation.
Expect Jover and Arteta to have something drawn up.
Conclusion
It’s wild how quickly the narrative can shift.
Back in the first leg, all the talk was about Liverpool’s “statement season” and how Arteta was still laying foundations. Now? Slot is under real pressure — especially with Amorim and Maresca already sacked — while Arteta looks more solid than ever.
And that’s the thing with Arteta: he just keeps evolving.
Last season’s second-place finishand a Champions League semi-final, all while navigating serious injuries and without the stress of a final-day top four race — that’s no small feat.
Arsenal are showing they’re ahead of the curve.
With a reinforced squad and a very real weakness to exploit in Liverpool’s set piece defense, the game might just swing on details — and Arsenal are built to win in the margins.
If they stay calm and clinical, especially on dead balls, this could be their moment.
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